[W9RCA-News] Field Day info 1

[Jim Keeth]

> Begin forwarded message:
> 
> From: "Brian D. Smith" <bdsmith at indy.net>
> Subject: Field Day Fact Sheet
> Date: June 18, 2019 at 6:46:49 PM EDT
> To: "Jim Keeth" <af9a.jimk at gmail.com>
> 
> Greetings, Indy United Field Day team!
>  
> First of all, sincere thanks for committing to be a part of the Indy United ARC Field Day operation (and special gratitude to those who’ve donated to help the effort). With a little cooperation from the weather, we could very well wind up as Indiana’s best Field Day team in history – and maybe even No. 1 in Class 3A! (And in a subsequent email I’ll tell you how we’re going to make that happen.) 
>  
> With Field Day Week underway, I wanted to pass along some important information. Since some of you have never even seen our Field Day site in a satellite photo, let alone operated from there, this email contains an array of info that you should find useful.
>  
> And since our team consists of new hams as well as veteran contesters, I’m including basic Field Day info for the benefit of our GOTA (Get On The Air station) operators. Welcome aboard, one and all! Let’s answer some frequently asked questions:
>  
> 1. WHAT’S OUR FIELD DAY SITE LIKE? 
> From a Field Day operator’s standpoint, about as good as it gets in Indiana. Victor Conservation Club (VCC) is a scenic, family-friendly, radio-friendly 40-acre fenced property with a clubhouse and a shelter house, indoor restrooms, a kitchen, no significant line noise, and a nearly 900-foot hilltop vantage point to launch our signals from. With the closest major highway 200 feet below us, this is an opportunity to enjoy some rare air!
>  
> 2. HOW DO YOU GET THERE?
> The street address is 6675 Red Day Road, Martinsville, but if you find yourself entering that city, you’ve gone too far. VCC is located off State Road 67 near the community of Centerton, just south of Mooresville, so most of us can get there on a major highway.
>  
> When you come to the stoplight at Robb Hill Road and State Road 67, turn west toward the gas station and continue straight up the hill (your vehicle will suddenly point upward) till you come to Red Day Road. Take a right and keep your eye on the right side of the road; you’ll soon see the 6675 mailbox and the Victor Conservation Club sign – your cue to head up the driveway to the front gate.
>  
> 3. WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT TIMES ON THE SCHEDULE (BESIDES OPERATING SHIFTS)? 
>  
> Set-up: Begins at 4 p.m. Friday and will continue through the daylight hours (and possibly beyond). For those working till 5 p.m., etc., it’s OK to arrive late if you want to lend a hand. 
>  
> Field Day arrival time: Most of us will be there by 10 a.m. Saturday, and if you’re a GOTA operator, you should try to do the same. Sometime around 10:30 or 11 a.m. Saturday, we’re planning on holding an orientation session for GOTA ops and anybody else who’d like a few tips on efficient contest-style operating. (Note to veteran Field Day ops, especially those driving more than an hour and/or who aren’t scheduled to operate immediately: We’ll leave it to you to decide your schedule, but please let me know – if you haven’t already – that you’ll be arriving close to, or after, 2 p.m. Saturday.)
>  
> Official Start of Field Day: Our transmitters will hit the airwaves at 2 p.m. Saturday and continue for 24 straight hours.
>  
> Teardown: Begins promptly at 2 p.m. Sunday and must be completed in 2 hours!
>  
> Vacating the premises: We have to pack up, clean up and clear out by 4 p.m. Sunday, since our agreement with VCC gives us access the property for 48 hours (4 p.m. Friday-4 p.m. Sunday).
>  
> 4. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT THE FIELD DAY COORDINATOR?   
> 
> I’m Brian, W9IND, and my cell phone number is 317-506-1980. You can text me at that number also, but I don’t have email set up on it and won’t be reachable by email after Saturday morning. Feel free to leave a voice mail if I don’t answer and it’s not urgent. And if I don’t answer and you need to reach someone from our leadership team immediately, try Dale Hammer, K9NN, at 317-366-2371.
> 
>  
> 5. HOW CAN THE FIELD DAY COORDINATOR CONTACT YOU?
> 
> If you haven’t already given me your cell phone number, please email it to me in the next couple of days. I want to be able to contact each of you in a hurry if I need to. 
> 
>  
> 6. WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO DO?
> 
> 1. Print and sign the attached waiver from VCC (it’s a standard release) and bring it with you to Field Day.
> 
> 2. Join Indy United ARC. (We’ll have sign-up sheets at VCC.) You don’t have to join Indy United (you’ll be a part of the Field Day team either way), but unless you’re a member, you won’t be covered by our ARRL club liability insurance. So, in the rare event that you get sued personally for something that happens on Field Day – say, you drop an antenna on somebody’s brand-new Porsche – you’ll be covered. 
> 
>  
> 7. WILL THERE BE LUNCH/DINNER/BREAKFAST?
> 
> Far be it from us to ask some of our loyal team members to drive 90 minutes or more and not have anything to eat for all their time and talent. You can expect plenty of protein-packed carnivorous cuisine, such as pulled pork sandwiches, KFC chicken and sausage-and-egg breakfast biscuits, to fuel your fires. However, if you’re on a special diet or have a favorite snack or beverage (non-alcoholic, please), you’re welcome to BYO. Just remember that refrigerator space is limited. 
> 
>  
> 8. SO THE VCC CLUBHOUSE HAS A FRIDGE. WHAT ELSE DOES IT HAVE (AND NOT HAVE)?
> 
> A stove, a microwave and a coffeemaker. A large front room where we’ll set up our Phone/Flex Station, CW Station #2 and the VHF Station. And best of all, indoor restrooms (although there’s also an outdoor version near the shelter house).
> 
> The clubhouse does not have hot water, but we can always heat water in the microwave. And it isn’t air conditioned, but we’ll have fans moving the air around.
> 
>  
> 9. ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO BRING?
> 
> A ham radio name/callsign badge if you have one – there are plenty of new faces on this squad, so wear it with pride.
> 
> Lawn chairs, which come in handy when you’re off the air and relaxing outside.
> 
> A favorite pillow or cushion, which can soften the effects of several hours in an operating seat -- as well as a sleeping bag.
> 
> Mosquito repellant, a must this year: On a recent visit to VCC, we saw more of the pesky insects than in 2018. But DEET should probably be avoided, since it’s been known to damage rubber and plastic objects (like the kind found on radios).
> 
> And don’t forget sunscreen. (We’ll get some sunshine this weekend, just keep the faith!)
> 
>  
> 
> 10. WHERE CAN I PARK?
> 
> The parking area is in front (south side) of the clubhouse near the front door.
> 
> DO NOT PARK in the area on the left (west) side of the clubhouse; it has a drainage problem (and will likely be marked off with yellow tape). 
> 
> ANOTHER NO-NO: Don’t follow VCC’s main road all the way to its southern end. That’s the VCC members’ campground, and it’s off limits to us this weekend.
> 
>  
> 
> 11. CAN I CAMP ON THE PROPERTY?
> 
> Yes, tent camping is permitted on the property. The camping area is in front of the trees between the clubhouse and the RV.
> 
> And here’s a special bonus: One of our GOTA ops plans to bring his fifth wheel and offer sleeping space to teammates who need a snooze in a quiet place.
> 
>  
> 
> 12. WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW? 
> 
> Please clean up after yourself. Don’t toss chicken bones, cigarette butts, etc., on the ground or leave water bottles, food wrappers and other trash around your station when you’re finished operating. Our damage deposit depends on leaving the property the way we found it. And we’d like to return for Field Day 2020!
> 
>  
> 
> 13. AND FINALLY …
> 
> Planning for Field Day 2019 has been underway since the end of Field Day 2018, and particularly since November, when we found out how well we’d done: 3rd in Class 3A, our best showing ever.
> 
> That’s when a few of us (notably Bob Avritt, N7CZ) began wondering aloud whether we were capable of an even higher finish. Could we seriously challenge the big dogs in our division, North Fulton ARL and Rochester DX Association, for a title that one or the other of them has won every year since 2012?  
> 
> The numbers say we can – as I’ll explain in my next email – but it’s up to all of us to put the Q’s on the scoreboard. I genuinely believe this is the strongest Field Day effort that Indiana has ever seen: We’ve got grizzled contesters and eager rookies … a dedicated FT8 station on 6 meters … two K3’s and an IC-7300 ... double extended Zepp antennas … and a phenomenal location with a clubhouse and a shelter house, as well as our own RV.
> 
> Like our own version of “The Magnificent Seven,” we’ve got CW gunslingers from across the state riding into town to join forces with some of the best ops from Indianapolis. Yes, we are definitely Indy United!
> 
> Now it’s time to stop envisioning and start demonstrating that our Hoosier contingent can outgun anybody in Class 3A, including the defending champs and the former champs. Let’s have fun, hit the bands hard, and bring home Indiana’s first major Field Day title since 1990. And break the all-time Indiana Field Day record of 12,676 points in the process!
> 
> At our first meeting of the year, I quoted Kurt Russell’s pre-game speech in “Miracle,” the movie about the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. I’m going to end with an excerpt from that same inspirational talk, which seems especially appropriate now:
> 
> “You were meant to be here tonight … Their time is done. It's over … This is your time. Now go out there and take it!”
> 
>  
> 
> TNX, 73 and GL to all,
> 
> Brian D. Smith, W9IND
> 
> Field Day Coordinator,
> 
> Indy United ARC
> 

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